[deadzero]

I know you can not use a 223 to hunt deer in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. down here is South Carolina you can.

If I get back into deer hunting I'm going to grab one of my deer rifles to head out. that would be my 35 Rem., 308 Win., or 300 WM. and no, I would not use the 223/5.56 on deer (if your shooting pocket size deer then yes, big 200 - 300 pound northern whitetail then no). it's a great varmint round and works very good on coyote. just because it can, or should I say may, kill a deer does not make it a good choice. unfortunately, it may take several blood trails going dry for some to realize this.
I have dropped many, many deer with my 300WM, it has fed me well over the years and I have never wasted any meat. double lung them just above the heart and everything in the rib cage turns to mush. only 2 of the biggest bucks ran but dropped within 50 yards. I avoid all shoulder shots with all my guns or bow. except the quartering away shot (entering back side of rib cage to opposite side front shoulder) , with any weapon, the outside shoulder is going to get hit (guarantee kill shot tho)

[lynxpilot]

I'm not good enough yet to try it. But I do have a 7mm RM that is scoped and a .308 AR that isn't that would be adequate. .308 is iron sights, so I'd limit my shot to 100 yds or less. That's for me. Not sure what other folk would do. I don't think it's something you can make a broad sweeping statement on. It's something that depends on the skill and ethics of the individual. I'll leave that to them. No need for more regulators amongus.

[redyak3]

I'm thinking of building a 6.8 SPC AR just for that purpose. I use 70gr Barnes TSX in my 223 with good results for hogs...

[jrswanson1]

I finally got a decent scope mount for my 16" carbine 6.8 for $20 from one of the guys on the 68forums. I also ordered a 30mm set for another scope/rifle combo that I'm just about done with, except I'm still waiting for my new upper. That one is 20". I hate waiting, but it's a custom upper, and the barrels are supposed to be unbelievably accurate.

Jim

[redyak3]

Quote:       Originally Posted by jrswanson1

I finally got a decent scope mount for my 16" carbine 6.8 for $20 from one of the guys on the 68forums. I also ordered a 30mm set for another scope/rifle combo that I'm just about done with, except I'm still waiting for my new upper. That one is 20". I hate waiting, but it's a custom upper, and the barrels are supposed to be unbelievably accurate. Jim

What barrel are you getting?
I saw a 18" SS WOA middy w/ matching bolt on the EE. I've got a stripped BCM flat top upper and LMT Defender lower assembly itching for a good barrel ....

[ProfessorP]

Quote:       Originally Posted by deadzero

I know you can not use a 223 to hunt deer in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. down here is South Carolina you can. If I get back into deer hunting I'm going to grab one of my deer rifles to head out. that would be my 35 Rem., 308 Win., or 300 WM. and no, I would not use the 223/5.56 on deer (if your shooting pocket size deer then yes, big 200 - 300 pound northern whitetail then no). it's a great varmint round and works very good on coyote. just because it can, or should I say may, kill a deer does not make it a good choice. unfortunately, it may take several blood trails going dry for some to realize this. I have dropped many, many deer with my 300WM, it has fed me well over the years and I have never wasted any meat. double lung them just above the heart and everything in the rib cage turns to mush. only 2 of the biggest bucks ran but dropped within 50 yards. I avoid all shoulder shots with all my guns or bow. except the quartering away shot (entering back side of rib cage to opposite side front shoulder) , with any weapon, the outside shoulder is going to get hit (guarantee kill shot tho)

Can't speak about OH or PA, but it IS legal to use a 223 in WV.

[Billyz]

Ohio and Michigan is a NO.

[jrswanson1]

Quote:       Originally Posted by redyak3

What barrel are you getting? I saw a 18" SS WOA middy w/ matching bolt on the EE. I've got a stripped BCM flat top upper and LMT Defender lower assembly itching for a good barrel ....

I got a Bison Armory upper with a 20" SPR barrel. It's getting more accurate the more I shoot it. It seems to love the 110gr Accubonds. I'm trying some 110gr match bullets next. The Accubonds are nice but pricey. Ben at Bison Armory also sells barrels, he's got a few left in stock, I believe. Good guy to work with, knows his stuff.

Jim

[FISHPOND]

To lazy to read the entire thread, but I won't go less then a 22-250.. However these dudes are bragging about their kills with a .223

YouTube - .223 hunting results.

YouTube - .223 hunting results.

[ZombieHunter]

So they've said on this forum that it's somehow "inhumane" to shoot an animal with a .223/5.56mm round. I find that somewhat humorous, seeing as how it is THE round we use to kill actual humans with...and the AR platform in 5.56mm is good for kill range out to 600m, depending upon basically only how well you can see and how good a shooter you happen to be.

I specifically built my AR for deer hunting, as a shiny stainless steel 20" HB isn't really exactly good for "house to house combat" or anything silly like that...which I'll never use it for.

However, I am one mean S.O.B. with this thing. In the Piney Woods of East Texas, you rarely will find a deer stand that offers more than a 100yd range of fire unless it's been specifically cleared to do so. At that range, I am more than capable of putting that round into a dime, provided the wind isn't blowing too terribly hard. The stand I usually hunt from offers a 75yd clearing.

I am unaware of any mammal in North America that can survive a .223 55gr HP round through the eye. I haven't been able to shoot any deer with it because this upcoming season will be my first with the rifle since I built it, but I did get the chance to go "test hunting" in my stand over this past weekend.

This is what happens to Peter Cottontail when he steps out into my deer-killing lane:

[TX Hog Hunter]

The 5.56 is probably adequate for deer in most situations if you use Barnes TSX bullets, but the 6.8 is where its at for deer and hog hunting. I've shot a bunch of hogs with the 6.8 and a few deer and it does a great job with the following bullets:

Barnes 85 or 110gr TSX
Nosler 110gr or 130gr Accubond

It's a very efficient little cartridge..............

[ZombieHunter]

Quote:       Originally Posted by TX Hog Hunter

The 5.56 is probably adequate for deer in most situations if you use Barnes TSX bullets, but the 6.8 is where its at for deer and hog hunting. I've shot a bunch of hogs with the 6.8 and a few deer and it does a great job with the following bullets: Barnes 85 or 110gr TSX Nosler 110gr or 130gr Accubond It's a very efficient little cartridge..............

I think it's more about shot placement than it is about the round you're using, although I've never hunted hog before. As I don't have any decent practice with running targets (having never been in combat, not a cop, et cetera), I don't think I'd even bother shooting at anything that was moving any faster than I could easily pan my 9x scope around on...if I was lucky enough to hit it, I'd likely take a bad hit and have the animal run off somewhere and die.

Get it within 200yds of me, when he's not traveling too fast for me to pan over with my 9x scope, and half of his mind is liable to be dropped on the forest floor. Bambi may run, but Bambi ain't going too far without her frontal lobe. Ever see what a deer's head looks like after being hit with 55 grains of copper and lead at 3200fps?

While an animal can run and run without blood if it still has a brain telling the nerves what to do, those nerves become uncooperative without a brain. The heart will still beat, but the human brain is the largest consumer of blood in the human body, and it will bleed out fast if there's enough damage done. Practical experience tells us a chicken will run with its head cut off, but a chicken has an immense "power to weight" ratio when compared to a deer or even a rabbit. When a chicken's muscles twitch rapidly, they are able to move that animal with greater efficiency than that of a larger animal...which is why you have that "chicken with its head cut off" thing going on. That rabbit in the above photo ran for more than six feet after I blew off everything but his ears...and ten minutes after he was skinned and butchered, the chunks of his meat were still quivering. A deer's muscles cannot move such a large body of mass with mere "twitching" for anywhere near that long.

Short version? When you slow the physical faculties (heart/lung shot), you have not taken away his desire to run, you have merely lessened his abilities to do so. When you remove his mental faculties (head shot), you have also lessened his physical abilities to run...but have rendered him mentally unable to do so, as there is no muscle/brain cooperation.

Pop him in the head, and he's gonna drop within spitting distance of where he was shot. Case closed, skin him down and fire up the pit.

[Tack Driver]

Quote:       Originally Posted by deadzero

I know you can not use a 223 to hunt deer in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. down here is South Carolina you can. If I get back into deer hunting I'm going to grab one of my deer rifles to head out. that would be my 35 Rem., 308 Win., or 300 WM. and no, I would not use the 223/5.56 on deer (if your shooting pocket size deer then yes, big 200 - 300 pound northern whitetail then no). it's a great varmint round and works very good on coyote. just because it can, or should I say may, kill a deer does not make it a good choice. unfortunately, it may take several blood trails going dry for some to realize this. I have dropped many, many deer with my 300WM, it has fed me well over the years and I have never wasted any meat. double lung them just above the heart and everything in the rib cage turns to mush. only 2 of the biggest bucks ran but dropped within 50 yards. I avoid all shoulder shots with all my guns or bow. except the quartering away shot (entering back side of rib cage to opposite side front shoulder) , with any weapon, the outside shoulder is going to get hit (guarantee kill shot tho)

In Virginia, the minimum caliber is .243

[Tack Driver]

Quote:       Originally Posted by ZombieHunter

So they've said on this forum that it's somehow "inhumane" to shoot an animal with a .223/5.56mm round. I find that somewhat humorous, seeing as how it is THE round we use to kill actual humans with...and the AR platform in 5.56mm is good for kill range out to 600m, depending upon basically only how well you can see and how good a shooter you happen to be. I specifically built my AR for deer hunting, as a shiny stainless steel 20" HB isn't really exactly good for "house to house combat" or anything silly like that...which I'll never use it for. However, I am one mean S.O.B. with this thing. In the Piney Woods of East Texas, you rarely will find a deer stand that offers more than a 100yd range of fire unless it's been specifically cleared to do so. At that range, I am more than capable of putting that round into a dime, provided the wind isn't blowing too terribly hard. The stand I usually hunt from offers a 75yd clearing. I am unaware of any mammal in North America that can survive a .223 55gr HP round through the eye. I haven't been able to shoot any deer with it because this upcoming season will be my first with the rifle since I built it, but I did get the chance to go "test hunting" in my stand over this past weekend. This is what happens to Peter Cottontail when he steps out into my deer-killing lane:

Deer are a little harder to kill than humans, a .223 may be suitable for the military and police departments, but it's not a deer round. I don't see why you would want to use such a light round, a round such as a .270 Win has very little recoil, but is one of the best deer rounds, plenty of power. I see know need to use .223's, you're just putting yourself at a disadvantage. I like a little punishment on the shooter's end as well as the deer.

[Paper]

I'm undecided..
Part of me says a .223 is a little light, but the little doe I shot today said it was more than enough. She never moved, except to drop straight to the ground, kick a couple times, and wait for me to gut her.

Shot placement is the key, as mentioned. Mine went in the neck, just in front of the shoulder and I found the slug (75 grain Prvi Hollow Point Boat Tail Match) just under the skin on the other side on the back side of the shoulder.




She couldn't have dropped any faster if I had shot her with a .50 BMG.. Just sayin'..

[ZombieHunter]

Quote:       Originally Posted by Tack Driver

In Virginia, the minimum caliber is .243

Due to Texas having very liberal (in the literal sense, not the so-called "political" sense) gun laws, I would normally retort with a "Wow, it must suck to live in Virginia!" or something of that sort...but my Browning semi-auto just so happens to be chambered in .243, so I wouldn't get that bent out of shape about it.

[ZombieHunter]

Quote:       Originally Posted by Tack Driver

Deer are a little harder to kill than humans, a .223 may be suitable for the military and police departments, but it's not a deer round. I don't see why you would want to use such a light round, a round such as a .270 Win has very little recoil, but is one of the best deer rounds, plenty of power. I see know need to use .223's, you're just putting yourself at a disadvantage. I like a little punishment on the shooter's end as well as the deer.

I know of no animal that can survive a 55gr slug ripping out half of his mind, two-legged or four. As my uncle once told me, "I've tried every spice, every seasoning, and every way of cooking 'em...but I just can't make those horns tender OR tasty." We take headshots, because it's a one-shot stop. We aren't concerned with mounting heads on the wall, but we are concerned with cheap and tasty steaks.

I'm really not seeing any disadvantage to a .223 round, if you know where to put it. It's hard to not kill something if you can bust off the back of his grape.

[jrswanson1]

Quote:       Originally Posted by Tack Driver

In Virginia, the minimum caliber is .243

Um, no. Minimum diameter of bullet has to be greater than or equal to 0.23". I can legally hunt with a 25-20 blackpowder round, it meets the bullet diameter spec.

Jim

[ZombieHunter]

Quote:       Originally Posted by jrswanson1

Um, no. Minimum diameter of bullet has to be greater than or equal to 0.23". I can legally hunt with a 25-20 blackpowder round, it meets the bullet diameter spec. Jim

One of the many reasons I find Virginia to be absurd. I can go hunting with my grandma's .25ACP, but I can't take my deer rifle because it's a .223...

[deadzero]

Quote:       Originally Posted by ZombieHunter

One of the many reasons I find Virginia to be absurd. I can go hunting with my grandma's .25ACP, but I can't take my deer rifle because it's a .223...

Uh...no you cant. it doesn't meet the minimum muzzle energy requirements of 350 ft/lbs for handguns for use on deer in Va. you need to check your facts first.